Mistake 1: Hit-and-run visits

ABOVE: The hydrofoil excursion boat Prince of
Venice returns to Izola, Slovenia after six hours in Venice.

The manager of a five-star hotel once told us that, on average, people who book
rooms in Venice stay for only 2.8 nights. Below the luxury level, the
typical hotel visit may be even shorter: Our analysis of bookings in all star
categories shows an average of only 2.1 nights in the city.

What's more, those statistics ignore the day-trippers who
represent most of the estimated 16.5 million tourists who come to Venice each
year (often for just a quick jaunt from a tour bus or cruise ship to the Piazza
San Marco, with a stop at the souvenir stands near the Rialto Bridge).

Visitors from far-flung places like the United States, Canada,
Australia, or Japan frequently try to cram too many cities and towns into a one-
or two-week vacation. That's a big mistake, for several reasons:

It doesn't allow time to get acquainted with each
destination;

It means wasting time in airports, on trains, or in buses
that could be used for relaxed sightseeing;

It means spending more on intercity transportation, which
leaves less money for museums and other attractions, local transport,
hotels, meals, entertainment, and shopping.

Our advice: If you're
coming to Venice, try to stay for a week or longer.

At the very least, spend three days in the historic
center, and allow an extra day if you want to tour the outlying (and
interesting) islands of Murano, Burano, and Torcello.

Who knows--maybe you'll end up joining the ranks of
Venetophiles who can't get enough of Venice and discover new things about the
city with every visit.